[2026. 6. 7.] The One Who Comes in the Name of the Lord | John 12:12–19

[2026. 6. 7.] The One Who Comes in the Name of the Lord | John 12:12–19

Sermon by Rev. Jinkook (Danny) Sohn (Hope of Heaven Baptist Chuch) 

 

2026. 6. 7. 주일예배 설교- 요한복음 강해 34
본문: 요한복음 12:12–19
제목: 주의 이름으로 오시는 이

설교자: 손진국 목사 (하늘소망교회)

 

Today’s passage shows Jesus entering the city of Jerusalem. When did this happen? It took place five days before Jesus died on the cross. Jesus was crucified on Friday, the day known as Good Friday, and this event occurred on the Sunday before that. It was exactly one week before the day Jesus rose from the dead. This day is called Palm Sunday. For students and young adults, the word “palm” may be unfamiliar, but in English it is simple—Palm Sunday. In verse 13 of today’s passage, people went out to meet Jesus holding palm branches, which is why the day is called Palm Sunday. Palm trees are common even here in New Zealand.

The title of today’s sermon is “The One Who Comes in the Name of the Lord,” which appears in verse 13: [Verse 13] People took palm branches, went out to meet Jesus, and shouted Hosanna, blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel.

Jesus is the One who came in the name of the Lord. Through today’s passage, I hope we come to know Jesus more deeply and understand the will of God.

 

1. Jesus who obeys the Word

Who were the people welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem? Verse 12 tells us: [Verse 12] A large crowd who had come for the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.

These were not people originally living in Jerusalem. They were a large crowd who had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. But together with the residents of Jerusalem, they had seen and heard the works Jesus had done. So when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, they held a welcoming ceremony. How did they do it?

[Verse 13] They took palm branches, went out to meet Him, and shouted Hosanna, blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel.

Why did they use palm branches? In the Old Testament, palm branches were used by God’s people as a symbol of joy, victory, and thanksgiving after experiencing God’s salvation. [Leviticus 23:40] The people used palm branches and other trees to rejoice before the Lord for seven days during the Feast of Tabernacles.

As they waved palm branches, what did they shout? Verse 13 says, “Hosanna, blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel.” They were welcoming Jesus as a king. But this king was not an ordinary national king—He was the Messiah sent by God. That is why they shouted “Hosanna,” which means “Save us.”

What expectations did they have? Israel was under Roman rule, and they hoped Jesus would deliver them from Rome and restore Israel’s independence. To them, Jesus was a political king, a revolutionary. They expected the King of Israel entering Jerusalem to come on a horse, with soldiers, trumpets, and a royal procession.

But Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem was very different from what they imagined. He did not ride a great horse like a conquering general. He entered riding a young donkey. Jesus came not as a political king but as a humble king. This was already prophesied in the Old Testament:

[Zechariah 9:9] Your king comes to you righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Jesus did not act according to people’s excitement or expectations. He acted according to the written Word of God so that Scripture would be fulfilled. This teaches us how the church must differ from the world, and how believers must live differently from those who belong to the world.

The world boasts in power. It exalts those who have much and despises those who have little. People study to rise above others, to gain more, to rule over others.

But we must be different. Why do we study? Why do we work hard? To save others. To help others. There was once a popular saying: “Why study just to give it away?” But the Christian answer is: “Study so that you can give it away.” Even if you rise to a high position, it is not for yourself but to serve the Lord and serve your neighbor.

In Philippians 2:5, Paul tells believers to have the mind of Christ. [Philippians 2:5] Have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. What is the mind of Jesus? Humility.

[Philippians 2:6–8] Though He was in very nature God, He did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage. Instead, He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness. He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross.

Jesus had every right to be treated as God, yet He did not insist on His rights. He humbled Himself, became a servant, became human, and obeyed God’s will even to death on a cross.

God desires that this humility of Jesus be seen in our lives as well. So He allows something in our lives—suffering. He allows difficult and painful times. He allows unexpected hardships. He allows unjust situations. But remember: every suffering has God’s purpose. What is that purpose? There may be many, but one purpose is certain—suffering humbles us. It brings us down from the throne of our own lives. It restores Jesus to His rightful place as Lord. Only then can we know Jesus and become like Him.

[Application] When what I want differs from God’s plan, how do I respond? As I go through suffering, what am I thinking about?

 

2. The disciples understood only after they obeyed

[Verse 16] At first the disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about Him and that these things had been done to Him.

The disciples did not understand at first. What did they not understand? They did not understand why Jesus rode a young donkey. They did not realize that Jesus was the Messiah, the One who comes in the name of the Lord. They did not know that the king riding on a donkey in Zechariah 9:9 was Jesus.

The disciples simply obeyed Jesus’ instruction to go to the village and bring the donkey. Then they saw Jesus riding it and were puzzled. Only after Jesus rose from the dead did they understand that the Old Testament prophecy about the Messiah had been written about Jesus and that everything had happened exactly as written.

One of the amazing principles of faith is this: faith does not obey because it understands. Following after understanding is common sense and science. That is not faith. Faith acts as though what is unseen is already seen. Faith goes beyond the limits of common sense and science.

[Hebrews 11:1] Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Faith acts as though what we hope for has already happened, as though what is unseen is already visible. Why? Because even if our physical eyes cannot see it, it is already happening in the unseen spiritual realm.

Hebrews also speaks about appearance and reality: [Hebrews 11:3] By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what is visible.

The visible world is the appearance. Science explains visible appearances through other visible appearances. But Scripture says the visible was not made from visible things—it was made by God’s Word. Can we see God’s Word? Scripture is the written Word of God. And who is the Word? Jesus. The Word who existed with God from the beginning, who is God, came to earth in human form—Jesus.

The unseen Word of God is the true reality. We come to know this reality when we obey the Word.

Many people say they cannot believe because they do not understand, because it is not logical. I was like that. I thought it was nonsense. I thought people who believed such things were foolish, ignorant, or even crazy. Sometimes I felt sorry for them. But when something happens in life that cannot be explained by logic or science, confusion begins. When something happens that my knowledge or ability cannot solve, the walls of logic and science begin to crumble. Only then do we enter the realm of faith. We begin to sense the reality behind the appearance. And when we obey the Word, our spiritual eyes—the eyes of faith—begin to open.

Healthy Christian living means that as time goes on, our spiritual eyes become clearer, and we see the true reality more and more. This is holiness. This is sanctification. Sick Christian living is when we never see the reality and live only by what is visible. This is worldliness and spiritual decline.

I pray that everyone here will live a healthy Christian life and become holy believers. To do that, we must obey God’s Word even when we do not understand it. But here is another problem: we want to obey, but we do not know what God’s Word to us is. How do we know? God speaks through the written Word. So we must read and meditate on Scripture daily. God also speaks through prayer. Therefore, the essentials of healthy Christian living are the Word and prayer.

[1 Timothy 4:5] We are made holy by the Word of God and prayer. If you want to know whether your spiritual life is healthy or sick, ask yourself: Am I holding onto the Word today? Am I praying today?

May your spiritual eyes be opened and brightened as you hear God’s voice daily through the Word and prayer and obey Him.

[Application] Are my decisions based on appearance or on reality? What must I decide today so that my spiritual eyes may open more?

 

3. God leads us to the way of the cross

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, a huge crowd welcomed Him shouting “Hosanna.” Why? Verse 17 tells us: [Verse 17] The crowd that had seen Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead continued to testify about it.

People who saw Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead testified, “Jesus raised a dead man!” “The one who raised the dead is entering Jerusalem!” Because of this testimony, what happened? [Verse 18] Many people went out to meet Jesus because they heard He had performed this sign.Many people heard and came to meet Jesus. Seeing this, the Pharisees said to one another: [Verse 19] Look how the whole world has gone after Him.

What did they mean by “what we are doing is accomplishing nothing”? The Pharisees were trying to accuse Jesus, stop people from following Him, and ultimately kill Him. But instead, the whole world was following Him. Without realizing it, they were prophesying.

As they said, Jesus is indeed the King whom the whole world must follow, the only Savior sent into the world. The Pharisees tried to stop this, but they could not stop the redemptive work God had planned and was accomplishing.

What was God doing as Jesus entered Jerusalem? He was leading Jesus to the cross. He was leading Him to die as the Passover Lamb.

This is also the path God leads us on today—the way of the cross. The path of dying to ourselves is the path of discipleship, the path we must walk.

[Matthew 16:24] Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Me.

Sometimes this verse feels so heavy that I hesitate even to read it. There were times when I thought this verse applied only to the twelve disciples and not to me. But the phrase “whoever wants to follow Me” kept coming into my mind. Am I not included? Do I not want to follow Jesus? Yes, I do. I want to follow Him and become like Him. Then I must deny myself. I must step down from the throne of my life and willingly take up the cross God has given me—the mission to save others, just as Jesus did.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote in The Cost of Discipleship: “When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die.”

Is being called to the cross frightening? Through today’s passage, God gives us great comfort and encouragement. The path of the cross is not something we walk by our own strength or effort. God Himself works so that we may walk it.

Then what must we do? We must entrust ourselves to God and allow Him to work. Faith is entrusting ourselves to God so that His will may be done. Satan tries to hinder this through visible things and through people who belong to the world. But remember: God will surely accomplish His will and receive glory through our lives. That is why we are blessed people. Our lives are the very place where God’s redemptive work unfolds.

[Application] Do I truly desire to follow Jesus? If it feels burdensome, why? What must I entrust to God today?

Beloved saints, through today’s Word, may we receive Jesus—who came among us as the true King in the name of the Lord—and may we become believers who trust Him and follow His way.

 

 

하늘소망교회(담임 손진국 목사)는 뉴질랜드 오클랜드 북부 실버데일에 세워진 한인교회로 '하나님의 마음으로 사람을 살리는 교회'입니다.

Hope of Heaven Baptist Church (Senior Pastor: Rev. Jinkook Sohn) is a Korean church established in Silverdale, Auckland, New Zealand. It is a church that saves people with the heart of God.